Thunder Wars
by Funvee
Summary: This should be awkward. This should feel wrong. He's my boss and he's falling asleep in my arms, She thought.   ONESHOT!


**Thunder Wars**

The sound of the booming thunder almost drowned out the sound of her Blackberry ringing. Pepper had not been asleep anyway, even if it was almost one in the morning, and she heard the ringtone straight away. She grabbed the Blackberry and frowned at the screen.

_What on earth could Tony possibly want at this hour? _She thought to herself before accepting the call.

"If you're ringing to get me to organise another party you can forget it." She said, not giving him a chance to talk.

"Ms Potts, it is I, Jarvis."

She sat up instantly at the sound of the cool, cultured voice of the AI "Jarvis? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Your assistance is required at the house with all due haste."

"Why? Jarvis what's happened?" She could feel her heart thudding in her chest and a deep sense of worry engulfed her. It had only been a few days since Mr Stark had returned from Afghanistan and with him, that thing, the Arc Reactor, in his chest. Had it malfunctioned?

"Mr Stark requires your assistance."

"Did he tell you to call me?"

"No. Mr Stark does not know I have phoned you. You asked to know if there were any changes in his vital signs."

"And? Is there?"

"Yes. His heart rate and respirations are above normal, though he is not exhorting himself."

"I'll be right there! Call me again if he gets worse." She cancelled the call and was on her feet hurriedly stripping her pyjamas off and throwing on a pair of sweat pants and a shirt. She sprinted to the front door of her apartment, grabbing a coat and her car keys as she went and dashed out to the hall.

As she entered the parking lot below the apartment complex she noticed that her feet were suddenly cold, then realised that in her haste she had forgotten to put on any shoes. Ignoring her bare feet she unlocked her car and climbed in. She kicked the engine over, slammed it into drive and floored it out into the storm.

Due to the early hour the streets were mostly bare and she had a lucky run with the traffic lights. She was also thankful for the lack of police and patrol cars, as she was very certain she would have broken quite a few road rules in her mad dash through the storm slicked city.

In what felt like no time at all, she was running up the front steps to Mr Stark's house just as Jarvis opened the front door for her.

"Where is he Jarvis?" She asked nearly slipping on the tiled floor with her wet feet. She threw off her coat and let it drop onto the floor. The thunder boomed again and lightening flashed, lighting up the room as though it was daylight.

"He is in his bedroom."

She ran to his room. Finding the door wide open and the light on, she entered the room and looked around. "Jarvis? You said he was in here."

"He is currently underneath the bed, Ms Potts."

"What. . .Mr Stark?" She called out crossing the room to his bed. The thunder rattled the windows. "Mr Stark?"

Dropping to her knees she bent right down to look below the bed. What met her eyes made her heart relax its intense pounding. He was there, as Jarvis had said. Though he did not seem to be in any pain and she could see no blood. He looked alright, but she could see him visibly trembling and his eyes were blank.

"Mr Stark? Tony?" She tried again, but his gaze stared off past her shoulder and he remained silent. "Tony? Tony, what's wrong? Come out from under there. Jarvis?"

"Yes Ms Potts?"

"How long has he been like this for?"

"I called you almost straight away."

"What's wrong with him? How much has he had to drink?"

"I believe it is the storm Ms Potts. He has consumed no alcohol within the last twenty four hours."

It suddenly hit her as the thunder boomed again and she saw Tony visibly flinch and hug himself more tightly. He was reliving the events of his three months in Afghanistan. The lightning and thunder would not be unlike bombs exploding in air raids and missile attacks. She had no idea of what he had suffered through when he was gone, but the Arc Reactor was not just for decoration. It was to keep him alive and keep the shrapnel from entering any major organs and she knew he must have been close to the bomb that nearly took his life.

"Tony? It's alright. Come out and get back into bed." She lay on the floor and reached a hand out to him. He didn't budge. He didn't even look at her. Unsure of what to do she sat back up. "Jarvis, what do you recommend?"

"I am sorry Ms Potts. As well programmed as I am, I am not a psychologist, though may I suggest closing the shades and turning on some music?"

"Yes do that." She lay back down and reached out to him again, as Jarvis turned on some of Tony's music to hopefully drown out the thunder, and blocked the lightening with the window shades. It worked to a degree, but the storm was intense and it still wanted to be heard.

"Tony? Please come out. It's only a storm." She was relieved when his gaze met hers and didn't seem to stare straight through her. She smiled at him. "Come back to bed."

He shook his head slightly.

"It's alright. Come out from under there."

"No." The word was uttered by such a broken voice that Pepper's heart broke and she found herself squeezing under the bed and shuffling closer to him. Slowly she reached out and put a comforting hand on his arm.

"It's just a storm." She told him.

"I. . .I know it's only a storm, but I can't help but think it's. . ." He trailed off his voice timid and eyes downcast.

"I know. It's alright." She propped her head on her arm and rubbed soothingly up and down his bicep. "Please come back to bed? Jarvis turned your music on for you, can you hear it?"

He nodded.

"See? You're home and you're safe. Now come out from under here and hop back into bed. I'll get you some chocolate milk and something to help you sleep, okay?"

"No, please, I want to stay here. I don't want to. . .to go back out there, please. I just want to stay here." He whispered. "Please, stay with me."

Pepper bit her lip to keep from crying at the desperate look he gave her, as though she was his life line. "Okay, okay." She soothed. She started to shimmy out of the tight space but he grabbed her hand, terror writ across his features. "It's alright. I'm just going to get some blankets and pillows, okay?"

He nodded and let her go. "And chocolate milk?" He asked.

She smiled. "And chocolate milk. I'll be back as quick as I can."

As she jogged into the kitchen she could feel tears running down her cheeks and she swiped them away. Poor Tony had been practically alone in the last few days as Obadiah had said to not overwhelm him and to leave him settle. She felt dreadful knowing he had been so tormented and wondered if this was the first time anything like this had happened since his return. Grabbing a pop-top bottle of flavoured milk and two sleeping pills from the medicine cupboard, she went back into Tony's room and pulled the blankets and pillows off the bed.

"I'm back." She told him, whilst wedging back under the bed, before pulling the blanket in as well. She draped it over them both and gave him a pillow, taking one for herself. "Here." She passed him the milk and pills, which he took with a little smile and took a drink from, swallowing the pills. She had always been secretly pleased that she was one of the few people who Tony could push his phobia (or peeve as he called it) aside and let her pass him things. His Mysophobia was also never extended to her and he had managed to touch her hand in the past without running for a bottle of hand sanitiser. How he had managed in a dirty cave for three months, she'll never know and really didn't want to think about it.

Once he was done with the drink she set it aside and moved closer to him. She knew this was inappropriate and she should call Rhodey, but she didn't care. He'd been gone three months and put through hell and he needed comfort. And so did she. Besides, she wasn't only his PA, but his friend as well.

"I know you think it's stupid to be scared of a storm, but I can't help it." He said, his eyes refusing to meet hers. "I'm so pathetic."

"Tony, no. You're not pathetic, don't say that. There is no shame in being afraid, in anything. Especially after what you went through." She reached for him then and let him snuggle into her. Sliding an arm under his head she guided his head to her shoulder and smoothed the messy hair away from his forehead. "You just go to sleep. I'll be here."

If he was surprised at the contact he didn't show it. Pepper hummed to him and rubbed his back as he began to relax. They were both silent, pressed together in the narrow space beneath his bed, the faint sounds of the storm could still be heard through the loud music.

_This should be awkward. This should feel wrong. He's my boss and he's falling asleep in my arms,_ She thought. But it didn't feel wrong, or weird, or uncomfortable. It felt right, and beautiful and perfect. And she wished this moment would never end.

"What would I do without you, Pepper?" His sleepy words were muffled against her shirt.

She smiled and pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head as he drifted off into an exhausted slumber. "I hope neither of us ever has to find out."


End file.
